Knife



' (No Model.)

J. W. GARDNER.

KNIFE. No. 280,599.- Patented Ju1y'3, 1883.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH W. GARDNER, OF SI-IELBURLIE FALLS, MASSACHUSETTS.

KNIFE.

SPECIFICATION forming'part of Letters Patent No. 280,599, dated July 3, 1883.

' Application filed May 8, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn W. GARDNER,

of Shelburne Falls, in the county of Franklin and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Knives, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to knives for table use; and it consists in a novel manner of constructing the same, whereby the blade may be detached from the handle and bolster, all as hereinafter fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a knife in the preferred form; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section of the same; and Figs. 3, 4, and 5, similar views, showing slightly-modified forms of the same.

The object of this invention is to provide for the use of either solid or hollow handles, as may be preferred, and to make the blades detachable and also interchangeable.

Referring now to the drawings, A represents the handle, whichI prefer to make hollow, and ofsteel or iron, being much lighter and as durable as the solid handle; and B, the bolster firmly secured to the handle, and provided with a projecting arm, C. The bolster and its projection are provided with a longitudinal slot on its under side of the proper width to permit the back of the blade D to fit therein, and the bolster proper is also provided with a socket, 0, into which the rear end of the blade securely fits, the upper and lower faces of the socket being inclined, so that when the blade is inserted it has a tendency to be held firmly in place. The blade D is provided on its upper edge, near the shank, with a notch, a, and at a short distance in advance of this is an oblique slot, 1), which latter is adapted to receive a pin, a, passing transversely through the outer end of the projection C, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. Having inserted the rear end of the blade in the socket 0 in the bolster, it is only necessary to apply slight force and move the blade so that the pin 0 will seat itself in the slot b in the blade, when the latter willbe found firmly secured to the handle; but in order to prevent any possible chance of the blade becoming detached accidentally I provide a set-screw, d, which passes through the projection O of the bolster and into theslot (1. in the blade, as shown in Figs. 2, 4, and

5. The set-screw (I will thus lock the blade fast, and preventit from becoming detached. The screw may be placed at the lower side of the bolster or other point, if preferred.

In Fig. 3, I have shown the invention ap plied to the better class of knives, in which bone, ivory, rubber, or other suitable materials 'are substituted for the hollow metallic handles, and, instead of employing the setscrew, I pass a tang, 6, through the handle and bolster, where its front end enters the notch a, which in this case is made in the rear end of the blade, it only being necessary when desiring to remove the blade to unscrew the tang from the same.

If desired, the bolster may be formed with a socket, into which the front end of the handle may fit, in which case the tang will be provided with a slot in its rear. end, so that it can be unscrewed without turning the handle.

In Figs. 4 and 5 the pin 0 at the forward end of the projection O is dispensed with, and in lieu thereof I notch the edge of the blade, or the projection, or both, so that they will in terlock, as shown, retaining, however, the setscrew and the slot in the upper edge of the blade, by which it is firmly held in place; or, if desired, the set-screw may be dispensed with and the tang passed through the handle, as in Fig. 3.

The blade-can be stamped out of sheet metal, and thus all be of one size, permitting the substitution of a new blade in case one becomes worn out or broken.

It is well known that the blades of knives cannot be advantageously plated with nickel, because of their elasticity, which causes the nickel to scale off but by my construction the handle can be plated with nickel and the blades with silver or similar substance, the cost of which renders its use for the entire knife undesirable.

blades to be detached and sharpened, and in case of expensive handles they need not be subjected to hot water or other damaging actions with the blades.

I am aware that it is not new to construct the handles of cutlery so that the blade to which is attached the tang and bolster can be detached, and hence do not claim such idea,

The construction also permits the I any one has ever before constructed a knife for table use so that the blade alone could be detached for cleaning, sharpening, or plating, &c., and the same made interchangeable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. A table-knife having its blade detachable from its bolster, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in a knife, of a bolster,

B, provided with a prolongation, 0, adapted to receive a blade, and the detachable blade D, with means, substantially such as shown, for securing the blade to the bolster.

3. The bolster 13, provided with socket 0 1 and the prolongation O, having'the' pin 0, or equivalent device, for interlocking with the blade, in combination with a detachable blade provided with the notches a b and set-screw d,

or equivalent device, for locking the blade in 20 B. RICHARDSON, FRANK M. CODY. 

